Blessings
by BarbleeHeartie71
Summary: Elizabeth and Jack, having met one summer as teenagers, meet again as adults. This is their story, one of the hardships and blessings that come from true love.


Elizabeth Thornton was dreaming; it was not a good dream. It was very strange and frightening. It caused her to wake up abruptly and place her hand to her chest in hopes to calm her pounding heart. She glanced at the time; 3am, then looked over at her husband. Jack was sleeping peacefully, not realizing she was wide awake and scared. Feeling like she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep anytime soon, and not wanting to disturb Jack, she quietly crawled out of bed and went to the living room. She sat down on the couch and put a blanket over herself. She curled herself up in a ball and remembered her dream, how scary it was.

After several minutes of sitting quietly and thinking about her dream, she realized why she had it. She was keeping something very important from Jack, something she knew she didn't have a right to keep from him. Her plan had been harmless; she wanted to tell him her news after he returned from his business trip, which would be the day before Thanksgiving. She imagined telling at breakfast on Thanksgiving Day, then spend the day celebrating, cooking and packing for their belated honeymoon to Disney World, which they were leaving for on Friday.

Still wide awake, she let her mind wander back to the day she met Jack and to their wedding day. She met Jack many years ago, when they were 16, at an overnight camp in the western part of Massachusetts. They were both counselors; they both handled camp sports and arts and crafts. They spent a lot of time together planning the activities for the campers and they quickly realized they were attracted to each other. Their attraction turned to love. After camp ended, they promised to write each other and try to visit each other as much as possible but it eventually became too hard. Jack wanted to become a police officer and spent much of his free time getting ready to pursue that career choice in college and then at the police academy. Elizabeth wanted to be a school teacher and spent time after school tutoring. They lost contact with each other until many years later when fate would bring Jack back into Elizabeth's life.

One night about 10 months ago, Elizabeth found herself being attacked by the parent of one of her students. His name was Charles Kensington. He was a childhood friend of hers. His father worked for her father at Thatcher Enterprises. They had grown up together but Elizabeth only saw him as a friend. Charles wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with her but backed off when told him she would never love him back in the way he should be loved. After a while, he moved on and married Susan Montgomery, the daughter of another one of her father's employees. They seemed happy at first and had two children together, who were 7 year old twins. Cody was in Elizabeth's class and Becky was in her friend Rosemary's class. To all, the Kensington's appeared to be the perfect family, until the day Susan mysteriously died. Rumors and gossip quickly meet the ears of all citizens of the small town of Hope Valley where they lived. Neighbors of the Kensington's started talking about how they constantly heard fighting from the home of this young family. They often saw Susan with bruises and recently some people said they saw Cody with a black eye. Elizabeth had found it strange how so many people seemed to know things were not right in the Kensington household but stood by and did nothing. She was a firm believer in bad things happen when good people do nothing and that was exactly what happened here. Susan Kensington had apparently taken a bad fall down the stairs and broke her neck but most people thought Charles had pushed her. Since Susan had never reported Charles to the police and it did appear like her fall was accident, the case was closed.

When September came and school started up again, both Elizabeth and Rosemary realized that something was terribly wrong in the Kensington household. Both children would come in exhausted, they appeared to be losing weight and often they would see bruises on their bodies, which they tried to hide Cody's were worse than Becky's and Elizabeth and Rosemary found out from his teacher the previous year that he had a lot of bruises then as well. Elizabeth and Rosemary would often talk about their concerns for the Kensington twins. Both felt that Cody was getting the brunt of the abuse because he had tried to first protect his mother, then after she died, his sister. He would never say anything though. It was too hard for him. It was hard for Elizabeth too because the man they suspected Charles to be was not the person she knew growing up.

Things at home appeared to be getting worse as the school year progressed. Elizabeth began to see Cody's grades fall and his homework assignments were either half completed or not done at all. He would be withdrawn and was often seen by himself or with his sister at lunch and recess. He would be short with his friends and a couple of times had hit his best friend, Robert. Rosemary was seeing similar things with Becky, so they decided to have a parent/teacher conference with Charles. When the day came for it, Rosemary received news that her beloved grandmother had passed away. Elizabeth agreed to have the meeting with Charles alone, something she would later regret. He arrived drunk and Elizabeth knew she should have canceled the meeting and driven him home. Instead, he insisted on going through with the meeting.

Elizabeth was very thankful that she had scheduled the meeting right after school had let out. If she had meet him any later, she might not be alive today. He had not taken what she had to say very well. He told her she had no right to say anything about how he was raising his children. If she had just accepted him into her life, they would be married with children of their own and they would be very happy. In his angry, drunken state, he admitted to pushing Susan down the stairs, then when he realized what he said, he came after Elizabeth. He approached her with his hands up, ready to strangle her. Elizabeth was so shocked at his behavior that she froze, which gave him the opportunity to put his hands around her neck. She tried to scream but he kept yelling at her to shut up; he repeated over and over again that she should have been his wife. Elizabeth managed to push him away from her and started to run for the door, screaming for help but he caught up to her. He smacked her across the face and pushed her into the wall. She felt horrible pain in her arm and for a brief second, thought she broke it but she didn't have time to dwell on it. Charles came at her again, eyes like a mad man, trying to kill her. She begged him to stop, through her good arm over her face to protect it, just as Charles was pulled away from her and thrown to the floor.

Elizabeth kept her eyes closed as tears pooled down her cheeks. She thought she heard a male voice talking to Charles, then she felt a hand on her arm. She jerked away from the pain and opened her eyes to see the concerned face of a police officer.

"Ma'am, are you hurt?" He asked gently. She looked at his name tag: Officer Thornton.

"I think," she paused to take a breath. "I think he may have broken my arm when he threw me into the wall. I think I may have some bruises too." She started to cry again.

Officer Jack Thornton looked more closely at this beautiful young woman. She had a black eye and the beginnings of what looked like finger bruises on both arms. He suddenly felt his blood start to boil. He always hated men who felt the need to hit and abuse women but there was something about this woman that tugged at his heart strings. Something looked very familiar about her too. "I am going to call for an ambulance and I will be right back to talk to you, Mrs…." He trailed off realizing he didn't know her name yet.

"Miss Thatcher. Elizabeth Thatcher." She reached out her hand to shake his, feeling like she could trust him.

"It's nice to meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances." He gave her a small smile.

"I do too." She returned the smile.

"Wait a minute. Elizabeth Thatcher? Did you go to Camp Groton in Massachusetts?"

Elizabeth looked at the handsome police man again. He did look familiar. Could it be him? "Oh my goodness! Jack! I never thought I would see you again." Her smile grew, despite the pain she was experiencing.

"Same here. I am so happy to see you again but if I may repeat myself, I wish it were under better circumstances."

After realizing they knew each other from years before, they knew that had to put that aside and concentrate on what had happened that night. While they waited for the ambulance, Elizabeth explained to Jack how she known Charles as a child, how he had fallen in love with her but she didn't have the same feelings for him. What she didn't say to Jack was the reason she could never love Charles was because since that summer at camp, she had always been in love with Jack. She told Jack what she knew of Charles life after they had moved on. By the time the paramedics arrived, Elizabeth was feeling so comfortable with Jack it was like no time had passed since that fateful summer. Once she had been checked over and put in the ambulance, Jack and Elizabeth said goodbye to each other, not knowing when they would see each other again and forgetting to get each other's cell phone numbers. It appeared like maybe they were not meant to be together.

Soon, they both realized they should never discount fate. Two months after they met, Elizabeth signed up for a self-defense class being taught at Hope Valley High School. Even though she knew what had happened with Charles was more than likely a onetime thing, she decided she wanted to be able to protect herself if she was put in that position again. They were both surprised when they found out that he was leading the class and she was one of the attendees.

Jack spent the entire class thinking about Elizabeth. How beautiful she was and how he fell in love with her all over again on that horrible day in her classroom. After class was over, he decided to take a chance and ask her to join him for coffee. She happily accepted, being as she felt the same connection to him, that she loved him just as much if not more than when they had been at camp. From that moment on, they spent as much time together as possible. They fell deeply in love and very early on in their relationship they began talking about marriage and family. Of course it wasn't all a bed of roses for the happy, young couple.

After Charles was arrested. Cody and Becky were placed in foster care in the home of Pastor Frank Hogan and his wife Abigail. Abigail was a very close friend of Elizabeth and Rosemary and she often gave them advice about problems they sometimes encountered with their students. When The Hogan's had heard about Charles, they immediately called Child and Family Services to see if they could take the Kensington children in as foster children. Once in their home and the children felt comfortable with them, Becky and Cody started telling Frank and Abigail about what had gone on in their home. After speaking to the police and exhuming Susan's body, they charged Charles with murder as well as the assault on Elizabeth. About five months after Elizabeth was attacked, the trial began.

Everything seemed to be going as planned. The district attorney's office had a solid case against Charles, until it came time for Elizabeth to come on the stand. Charles' attorney started asking her about her private life. The DA objected and the judge agreed; Elizabeth was released from the stand, confused about what just happened. Until Jack was called to the stand. Charles' lawyer started asking him questions about his relationship with Elizabeth. Questions that made it seem like they had been dating before the attack and that Jack was jealous of the so called relationship Elizabeth had with Charles. His lawyer spun a story that told the court that Jack wanted Charles out of the way and had planted evidence that would get Charles put in jail for a long time. The judge called an immediate recess to investigate. Sargent Bill Avery, Jack's immediate supervisor had a feeling something like this would happen and had come prepared to the court the day Jack was called. Jack had come to him after going out for coffee that night after self-defense class. He told Bill that he was interested in seeing Elizabeth on a personal basis but wanted to make sure there was no conflict of interest with the upcoming trial. Bill had said the defense might see it that way but he would be prepared to back Jack up and say that the two didn't start dating until months later.

After the judge spoke with both attorneys and to Sargent Avery, he spoke with the jury and told them to disregard the tale the defense had told. The trial continued without any more issues. Charles was found guilty of both murder and assault. As he was being dragged away to jail, Charles yelled at Elizabeth that she hadn't seen the last of him. He would get out someday and come find her. If she continued with her relationship with Jack, Charles would make her pay for disobeying him.

Elizabeth had been so frightened by what Charles had become. Gone was the good natured friend she knew as a boy. In his place was a moody, violent man. Someone she was afraid of, something she never thought would happen. Jack could see her sadness over losing her childhood friend and fear of the man who took his place. He decided that after the sentencing, he would take her away on a trip. He had been thinking for some time about asking her to marry him. He held off because of the trial but now he felt he should ask her. They needed to move on with their lives and getting married could be their first step. So he decided to splurge and book them two rooms on a cruise to Eastern Canada.

Elizabeth glanced at the time and noticed it was almost 4. She still wasn't tired; she let her mind drift back to the cruise. She had been so excited when Jack told her about the trip. Jack had noticed an immediate change in her; she went from being depressed to happy beyond words. It was when she had her arms around him, kissing him all over his face that he decided he was grateful for bringing the ring with him. He gently pulled away from her, then kneeled down on the floor. She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth when her mind registered what he was doing. He told her how much his life had changed for the better when he reunited with her, even though it happened under the worst circumstances possible. With tears falling down his cheeks, he told her how he realized that day he never stopped loving her and how he couldn't imagine going forward in life without her. He promised he would always take care of her and their family, then he asked her to become his wife. He barely asked the question before she moved to the floor, throwing her arms around him again and whispered in his ear the word yes, over and over again. He held her in his arms and slid the beautiful sapphire ring onto her finger. They returned to the sofa and cuddled all night, while discussing wedding plans. It was August and she was due to start school soon. They both agreed they didn't want a big wedding and they didn't want to wait too long to get married. In the end they decided to have a small, private wedding at Christmas, then go on a honeymoon over her Christmas break.

Once they boarded the cruise ship and got a good look around, they both decided they would never find a place more beautiful than the ship for their wedding. They knew the captain could marry them while they were out at sea. Since they both knew they didn't need or want a flashy wedding, the only thing missing would be their families. However they knew that while their families would be disappointed that they couldn't be at the ceremony, they would also understand why they needed to get married at this time. Elizabeth and Jack agreed to still have a party at Christmas for their family and friends but they would start their lives together that very night. They also discussed moving their honeymoon up to Thanksgiving break. The school system that Elizabeth was working for was trying something new this year and giving the students and faculty a longer break at Thanksgiving, eliminating the break in February and having a few days off around Easter.

When they asked the crew what they needed to do to have the captain marry them that night, they all happily stepped in to help them. Elizabeth was able to find the perfect dress in one of the shops as well as a pretty negligee for the wedding night. Jack bought a new suit and couldn't believe his luck when he passed the jewelry shop. There in the window was a heart shaped sapphire necklace that was nearly identical to the ring he gave her. He didn't hesitate to buy it and have it sent to her room. Elizabeth cried when she saw it; it was so beautiful but she didn't have a clue what she could buy for him. She worried for a few minutes but then remembered he would not be expecting a wedding present from her. He would say her becoming his wife was all the present he needed. She quickly dried her tears as she planned out in her mind something she could get him after they returned home.

The wedding went off without any problems. They both cried as they said their vows to each other. Jack dipped her low when he gave her his first kiss as her husband, while the crew clapped and whistled, congratulating them. They were invited to dine at the captain's table, where they ate succulent prime rib and fabulous wedding cake. It was a white cake that had a chocolate mousse filling with a buttercream frosting. Every passenger in the room applauded when the happy couple feed each the cake. After dinner, they shared a few dances before retiring to their room. Unbeknownst to them, the Captain upgraded them to a fancy suite for the entire trip. They were both in shock when Jack walked into the suite with Elizabeth in his arms. They sat down on the sofa and had a glass of campaign while they held each other and kissed. Not long after arriving to the room, Elizabeth decided she needed to change. She was dealing with so many new emotions and feelings. All she wanted to do was make love to her husband.

Once inside the bathroom, she stopped to take a few deep breaths. Then she unclipped the pearl clips from her hair and bushed her auburn locks until they shined. She carefully took her dress off and hung it up. She freshened up her makeup and added a little perfume to her wrists. She reached for her negligee and slipped it on. It was dark blue with a black lace overlay. She slipped on the matching robe but left it open, then she walked out of the bathroom. Jack was pulling back the covers on their bed when he heard her enter. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened when he saw her. He had thought he had never seen any woman more beautiful when he saw her in her wedding dress but he was wrong. She was absolutely breathtaking in her negligee. He crossed the room to meet her, then leaned down to give her a kiss so passionate that it had them coming back for more, again and again. At some point in the night they made it to their bed but neither could remember that. All they could remember was what they felt for each other as they made love for the first time.

"Elizabeth? Are you ok?" Jack asked her softly as she nearly jumped out of her skin. He sat down next to her on the sofa and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's ok, Jack. I'm fine now."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"I had a bad dream and I didn't want to wake you so I came out here to rest. The dream was very strange and frightening but it had me remembering how we met and got married."

"Hmm, I'm intrigued. How could a bad dream make you remember one of the happiest moments of our lives?"

Elizabeth sighed. She took Jack's hand in hers and brought it to her lips. "Jack, Honey. I have something to tell you." She paused and chewed on her lip, something she did when she was nervous. "I think you may be a little mad at me once you hear my news."

Jack felt his heart skip a beat as he tried to imagine what she might have to tell him that would make her seem scared and nervous and make him mad that she didn't talk to him. "What is it, Sweetheart? Whatever it is, I promise I won't be mad and we will work through it together." He looked into her eyes and saw tears starting to form.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Jack, I haven't been feeling well lately, so I went to see the doctor yesterday."

Jack tried taking some deep breaths to calm himself down. If she was that afraid to tell him about her appointment, she must really be sick. He couldn't wrap his head around her being ill. She was his life, his everything, his sun, moon and stars. "Elizabeth, it's ok. Tell me what the doctor said and we will get through it together. I promise."

Elizabeth looked at his face and saw fear in his eyes. She realized then that he thought she must have some terrible disease. "Jack, no! It's nothing bad. In fact, it's great. The best possible news any couple could get." She took his hand and placed it on her abdomen.

Jack looked at her, confused for a few moments, then he glanced down at his hand and back up to her face several times. He started to smile as he figured out what she meant. "A baby?"

"Yes!" She whispered as her throat was clogged with emotions.

Jack watched as a tear slipped from her eye. He wiped it away then pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her. He started crying and their tears mixed together for a sweet but salty kiss. "I'm so happy, Sweetheart." He murmured into her ear. Then he pushed back from her. "Why would you think I would be mad at you and how does this figure in with your bad dream?"

"Well, maybe this was silly on my part, but I wanted us to be able to celebrate the baby news without you having to rush off on this work trip. I decided that I would tell you after you return, on Thanksgiving Day. I was going to tell you just how thankful I am this year for having you in my life and for you creating this baby with me." She reached up and wiped some tears off her face. "I now realize, because of my dream, that I had no business keeping this news from you. You deserved to know as soon as I did. Please forgive me." She put her face down as more tears started to fall.

Jack lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes. "I'm still not sure what happened in your dream to cause you to be so upset, but I am not the least bit mad at you. I understand completely why you wanted to wait. It would have been just for a few days. If you kept it from me for weeks, then I would be upset." He kissed her then. "I admit it's going to be a little harder for me to leave later because I just want to pamper you for the rest of the weekend, knowing how much work you are going to be doing this week, but I will deal with it. I will keep myself focused on Wednesday when I return home, the on Thanksgiving and finally our trip."

Elizabeth smiled through more tears. "Thank you. I'm so glad you understand. I can't wait till we are at Disney."

"Me too." They sat in silence for a few moments. "Wait, are you going to be ok while we are at Disney? Are you able to fly and go on rides?"

Elizabeth giggled. She knew Jack would ask these questions and be protective of her. "I'll be fine, Jack. I asked my doctor when I was there yesterday. Flying is fine until later on in the pregnancy. As for the rides, I can't go on roller coasters or Test Track, you know rides that could be bumpy and jostle me around. With any of the other rides she said to use my judgement. Like with the Safari ride at Animal Kingdom. She went on it while she was in the early months of her pregnancy but she has had other moms-to-be say they were afraid to go on it. My doctor said it is a little bumpy but the vehicle doesn't move very fast. She said it's similar to driving over a pot hole back home."

"I'm so glad you asked, not that I didn't think you would. I just wanted to be sure. And I think your doctor made a good point about the Safari ride. There's a pot hole over by the station that's really bad. My bones feel like they are banging into each other when I hit that hole." They looked at each other and laughed. "Do you want to tell me about your dream?"

"I do, but I am beginning to feel a little nauseous. I'm going to make myself some tea and toast to settle my stomach and then I will tell you." She started to get up, but he gently pulled her back down on the sofa.

"You stay here and rest, Sweetheart. I will get your tea and toast."

"Thank you, Honey. I bought some mint tea after my appointment because my doctor said that will help with the morning sickness. It's in the cabinet with the coffee. Also, no butter for the toast. The doctor also said having it dry is one of the best ways to help with the nausea."

"Ok, thank you for telling me." Jack leaned down and kissed her before making his way to the kitchen, humming to himself along the way. After he set the kettle on the stove, he sat at the table and thought about what just happened. He knew that Elizabeth hadn't been feeling well; now that he knew what was going on, he couldn't believe he didn't guess what was happening to her. Her symptoms fit; he heard her getting sick recently. He saw her have a dizzy spell one day when he got home from work but she hadn't realized he was there. The big sign, which he couldn't believe he missed, was that she was late. Before they had gotten married, Elizabeth explained to him that she had a condition called Endometriosis that caused her to have painful cramps each month, as well as possibly cause fertility problems. She had wanted to be honest with him, to let him know that having children biologically might be a problem. She then said if they couldn't have a child made from their love that she would love to adopt. He fell in love with her all over again when she said that. He vowed right then and there to take care of her every month, to help her the best he could. The first month after they got married had been interesting. He was able to confirm what he already knew about her. She was such a strong woman. He could tell she was in a lot of pain by looking in her eyes, but she tried her best to cope. She never got angry with him or snapped at him; she never acted like the stories he heard from his friends about their significant others, or like his mother had. Of course his mother wasn't that bad either. He always believed that some of her monthly problem was having to raise two high spirited teenage sons without the aid of her husband.

The water came to a boil just then, so he got up and prepared the tea, putting the cup and the sugar bowl on a tray. Next, he put the bread in the toaster and sat back down at the table. Again, his thoughts returned to their baby. He never felt such joy in before, other than the day they got married. The joy was marred a little by the fact that he would be away for a few days. He wanted to stay home and pamper her, to make sure she took care of herself, even though he knew she could do all on her. He just wanted to be there. As the toast popped up, he told himself he wouldn't be gone that long and then they would be going on their belated honeymoon. He would make sure to it that Elizabeth didn't over-do it while on their trip, even if they had to cut back on more attractions that they wanted to see.

He returned to the living room and placed the tray on the table in front of the sofa. Elizabeth had been resting her eyes when he came in but opened them when she heard him put the tray down. "Here's your order, Ma'am. Hope you like it." Jack said, pretending to be a waiter.

Elizabeth giggled as he joined her back on the sofa. "Thank you, kind sir." They sat in silence while she nibbled on her toast and sipped her tea. Once she had finished eating and it appeared to be settling her stomach, she turned to face Jack. "Ok, so you want to hear about my crazy dream."

"Yes, I do."

"Ok, well we were both in it, as a married couple but instead of living here in Rhode Island, we were living in a small town in Western Canada, in the early 1900's."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Canada? 1900s?"

"Yes. I was a school teacher and you were a Mountie."

"Good to know that we had the same jobs." He commented, while wondering what was coming next.

"Charles was also in the dream."

"Wouldn't that make this a nightmare?" He joked. The look on her face told him he should have kept his mouth shut. "I'm sorry, this is not a laughing matter. Go on, tell me what happened."

"Well, you were called away on an extended assignment and didn't know when you would return. Shortly after you left, I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't decide if I should tell you in a letter or wait until you returned home. I really wanted to tell you when you got back plus I was concerned if I did write you my news, you would be so worried about me back home that you might get hurt or worse because you were concentrating on me."

"Wow. That is a tough situation. I'm trying to imagine it and I am just not sure how I would react given that circumstance."

"I know. One day about a month after you left, I dismissed the children and stayed behind at the school to grade some papers when I heard the door open. I got excited thinking it was you and that I could finally tell you about the baby, but it turned out to be Charles." She felt tears start to well up in her eyes.

"Charles?" Jack inquired with a dark look in his eyes. He was beginning to see why the dream had upset her. Charles must have hurt her in some way.

Elizabeth was a little surprised by his reaction but then she thought it over. Of course he would be upset, given what Charles did to her and his wife in the real world. She grabbed his hand, gave it a squeeze before taking a deep breath. "He walked down the aisle of the school building and started yelling at me. I couldn't understand him at first because of the way he was ranting. I kept looking around trying to see if I could find a way out because I had this bad feeling about him. Then he clearly said what was on his mind. He was angry that I had turned down his marriage proposal and then marry you. He couldn't understand why I would want to marry a Mountie that came from a poor background when I could have continued my life as the wife of a wealthy business man after growing up the daughter of one. He then said he had talked some lawyer into getting our marriage annulled so that Charles and I could marry." She paused and looked at Jack. He did not look happy. She reached over and touched his cheek. He looked at her and nodded for her to continue. "I told him that I would not go along with his plans because I love you and that you and I have a happy life. Then I told him about the baby." A tear slipped out of her eye and Jack reached over to wipe it away.

Jack wasn't sure he wanted to hear the rest of this but he knew Elizabeth needed to tell him so she relax and maybe get some much needed rest. "What did he do next?"

"He got so angry at me. He started ranting about how horrible it was that I could carry the brat of a poor man that grew up from nothing. Then he started for me. He grabbed me and started to shake me. When I slapped him and tried to get away from him, he yanked my arm and started hitting me. Then he dragged me out the door and pushed me down the stairs." She was crying hard then, remember how vivid the dream was; how it felt like it was happening to her in real life. "I landed hard on my stomach and hit my head on a rock. I think I blacked out for a minute or two because when I woke up, you were there. You and Charles were fighting. I curled myself up in a ball and prayed that the fighting would stop and that nothing happened to our baby after what Charles did. Finally you knocked him out, then cuffed him before turning your attention to me." She stopped again as she was overcome by the same emotions she felt when she first woke up from the dream.

Jack pulled her into his arms and rocked her. He whispered in her ear that he loved her. "Shhh, Sweetheart. I'm here. I will always protect you, even from your dreams." He held her for several minutes. "I'm sure that's not then end of the dream, is it?"

"No. By the time you got to me, I was starting to feel pains in my abdomen. I put my arm over my stomach and prayed that everything would be fine but the pain got worse. You could tell I was hurting by the look on my face. You asked me what was hurting and then I broke the news to you about the baby and that I felt like I might be miscarrying. You were so shocked and frightened. You swept me up in your arms and as quickly as you could, brought me to the doctor. The doctor confirmed what I feared and we held each other, crying as I lost the baby. After a while, you asked how long I had known about the baby and when I told you, you were so mad. I had never seen you so mad before." She paused to wipe some tears from her checks. "That's when I woke up. I took the dream as meaning I should never have kept the news from you, even if it was with the best of intentions. You deserved to know immediately and I am sorry I didn't tell you as soon as you got home yesterday." She lowered her head as the tears started flowing again.

Jack took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. She looked back up at him and noticed nothing but happiness in his eyes plus a little worry because she was so upset. She gave him a smile and moved closer to him to cuddle up against him. He gladly welcomed her into his arms. "Just like I said earlier, I'm not mad at you at all. Like you said, you had the best intentions when you wanted to wait until Thanksgiving. We should still celebrate this joyous news on Turkey Day, especially since I have to go on this business trip. For the record though, I would rather stay home and pamper you."

Elizabeth pushed back slightly from him. "I don't think you wanted to go on this trip even before you knew about the baby." She looked into his eyes and giggled. "Not that I want you to go either. I'm going to miss you so much but I have work and the upcoming trip to keep me busy. Plus I want to do a little shopping, probably tomorrow. I noticed my bras are getting a little tight and my breasts are a little tender." Jack looked at her again with that worried expression. "It's ok, Jack. It's perfectly normal. My doctor gave me the name of a new maternity store in the mall that uses extra soft fabric just for the purpose. They also have a lot of clothing for these in-between times when part of an expectant mom is getting bigger but is not quite big enough for maternity clothing. It can also work for after the baby is born but before she has lost the weight. I'm told they are affiliated with that new baby furniture store just down the road from the mall. I thought I might check out the clothing store tomorrow."

"That sounds like a plan. Buy what you need and don't worry about money. I want you to be comfortable. Just don't overdo it. You haven't gotten much sleep and I want you to get some rest."

Elizabeth yawned just then. "I'm sorry for doing that in our face. I should go to bed now. I think now that we talked I can fall back to sleep. Will you join me?" She asked with a grin on her face. She knew what the answer would be, especially since he didn't have to leave until around 2.

Jack stood up from the sofa and held out his hand for her. "As if you need to ask." He said as he help her up. Once she was standing, he swept her up in his arms and carried her back to bed. He set her down by her side of the bed and pulled back the covers, then tucked her in once she was settled. He quickly rounded the bed and joined her, wrapping his arm protectively around her waist. "I love you both." He whispered in her ear.

"We love you too," She wearily replied back. As she fell asleep, she thanked the Good Lord for the blessings He has given her.


End file.
